The Effective But Forgotten Benezet Method of K-8 Education

Some blog followers might be interested in a recent discussion-list post “The Effective But Forgotten Benezet Method of K-8 Education” [Hake (2012)]. The abstract reads:

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ABSTRACT: In response to my post “Faculty Try Innovative Teaching Methods, But Don't Stick With It” at http://bit.ly/O3fctt, PhysLrnR’s John (Texas) Clement wrote (paraphrased for brevity): “Not sticking with innovative teaching methods is an old story - e.g., the Benezet Method of K-8 education http://bit.ly/926tiM, was yanked because of parental complaints.”

While it's possible that “parental complaints” may have contributed to the ouster in 1938 of Louis Paul Benezet http://bit.ly/ifjAv9 from his superintendency of the Manchester NH Schools, I think the primary reasons that the Benezet Method of K-8 Education is virtually forgotten are:

(a) the failure of the education community to appreciate the significance of the ground-breaking Benezet/Berman experiment of the 1930's http://bit.ly/PUGosU;

(b) the failure of universities and colleges to educate teachers capable of implementing Benezet's Method http://bit.ly/w9M6dc; and

(c) the opposition of those who favor “direct instruction” (i.e., “drill and practice”) in the early grades http://bit.ly/Pup0Nb.
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To access the complete 21 kB post please click on http://bit.ly/SbTiWD.

Richard Hake, Emeritus Professor of Physics, Indiana University
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“. . .I will look primarily at our traditions and practices of early schooling through the age of twelve or so. There is little to come after, whether of joys or miseries, that is not prefigured in these years.”
David Hawkins http://bit.ly/fjHU9b (2001, p. 3)

“Benezet’s experience that sixth graders with no prior instruction could catch up with students with three years of prior instruction deserves attention. If that is so, one can reasonably claim that the school time spent on arithmetic during grades 3, 4, and 5 is wasted.”
- Andrew Gleason http://bit.ly/hKxteu (1986?)

“[Hassler Whitney http://bit.ly/eCiTGy] opposed formal instruction in arithmetic in the early grades, repeatedly citing a little-known study by Louis P. Benezet (1935a, 1935b, 1936), superintendent of schools in Manchester, New Hampshire, who managed to get several schools In his system to abandon all formal instruction in arithmetic prior to seventh grade. After a year's instruction, the students’ arithmetic test scores were at the level of those of comparable students who had undergone regular instruction. Whitney saw the Benezet study as justifying his argument that too many mathematics teachers were focusing on the passing of tests rather than what he called ‘meaningful goals.’ He was particularly disturbed by national reports calling for more mathematics to be taught earlier in school.”
- International Commission on Mathematical Instruction: ICME (2012)

REFERENCES [URL’s shortened by http://bit.ly/ and accessed on 02 Sept 2012.
Gleason, A.M. 1986?. “Delay the Teaching of Arithmetic ?” unpublished, online as a 12 kB pdf at http://bit.ly/PPTx8f. The late Andrew Gleason http://bit.ly/hKxteu was Hollis Chair of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy at Harvard University.

Hake, R.R. 2012. “The Effective But Forgotten Benezet Method of K-8 Education,” online on the OPEN AERA-L archives at http://bit.ly/SbTiWD. Post of 02 Sep 2012 15:28:15-0700 to AERA-L and Net-Gold. The abstract and link to the complete post are being transmitted to several discussion lists.

Hawkins, D. 2001. The Roots of Literacy. University of Colorado Press. Amazon.com information at http://amzn.to/h3cbtf. A perceptive review by Helen and Joseph Featherston is at http://bit.ly/OITjdS.

The Wolfram and Benezet Silver Bullets For Making Math Education Work

Some blog followers might be interested in a recent post “The Wolfram and Benezet Silver Bullets For Making Math Education Work” [Hake (2010)]. The abstract reads:

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ABSTRACT: Conrad Wolfram, in his talk “Teaching kids real math with computers” http://bit.ly/dUWJuB , said “I believe that correctly using computers is the silver bullet for making math education work.”

Over 70 years ago Louis Paul Benezet http://bit.ly/926tiM discovered another silver bullet for making math education work: viz., abandoning the mindless drill that goes with most formal instruction of mathematics in the lower grades.

Although admired by heavy-weight mathematicians such as Hassler Whitney http://bit.ly/eCiTGy and Andrew Gleason http://bit.ly/hKxteu, Benezet's work has been generally ignored by the education community and vilified by traditionalist math warriors.

It remains to be seen whether or not Wolfram's “silver bullet” of 2010, up against similar negative influences, will have any more effect on math education than did Benezet's of 1935/36.

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To access the complete 6 kB post please click on http://bit.ly/e9lNvn .

Richard Hake, Emeritus Professor of Physics, Indiana University

Honorary Member, Curmudgeon Lodge of Deventer, The Netherlands

President, PEdants for Definitive Academic References which Recognize the Invention of the Internet (PEDARRII)

rrhake@earthlink.net>

http://www.physics.indiana.edu/~hake

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http://HakesEdStuff.blogspot.com

http://iub.academia.edu/RichardHake

“Mathematics is the gate and key of the sciences. . . .Neglect of mathematics works injury to all knowledge, since he who is ignorant of it cannot know the other sciences or the things of this world. And what is worse, men who are thus ignorant are unable to perceive their own ignorance and so do not seek a remedy.”

Roger Bacon (Opus Majus, bk. 1, ch. 4) http://bit.ly/dzjbWv

REFERENCES [URL shortened by http://bit.ly/; all URL's accessed on 11 December 2010.]

Hake, R.R. 2010. “The Wolfram and Benezet Silver Bullets For Making Math Education Work,” online on the OPEN! AERA-L archives at http://bit.ly/e9lNvn. Post of 11 Dec 2010 13:48:36-0800 to AERA-L and Net-Gold. The abstract and link to the complete post are being transmitted to various discussion lists.